Chapter 5

Frank’s face twisted with disgust before she had even finished speaking.

“You already know that won’t work.”

Daniela let out a slow breath and leaned back against the couch. Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence stretched between them until Frank finally broke it.

“You know… this whole situation feels strange.”

She looked up at him.

“The same man we’ve hated for years, the same one we used to joke about sneaking into his room and smothering with a pillow when we were kids, is suddenly your future husband.” He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “You’re getting married, Dani. That changes everything.”

“Stop saying things like that.”

The sharpness in her voice surprised even her.

“I’m not letting this marriage happen.”

Frank held her gaze, and the amusement disappeared from his face.

“You can’t outrun my father. It doesn’t matter where you go or where you hide. He’ll find you.” His expression hardened. “Whatever he decides he wants… he gets.”

“He doesn’t own me.”

Daniela’s eyes burned with determination.

“And I won’t let him or anyone else control my life.” She swallowed hard, trying to steady her emotions. “Everything I’ve done has been for one reason. I wanted my father to see that being born female shouldn’t have stopped me from becoming the next Alpha of the Vanguard Pack.”

Her smile slowly faded.

“But that dream died the moment he named Will as his heir.”

Her voice had grown much quieter.

“I finally understand something. Nothing I do will ever change the way he sees me. No matter what I achieve, I’ll always be nothing more than a girl in his eyes.”

She looked directly at Frank.

“So I’m done trying to earn his approval.”

A quiet determination settled over her.

“I refuse to spend the rest of my life living inside a cage.”

Frank smiled, and there was nothing mocking about it this time. It was filled with pride.

For just a second, Daniela felt butterflies stir in her stomach.

“You don’t have to prove yourself to anybody,” he said softly. “As long as you know your own worth… and I know it too.”

Her heart almost forgot itself.

Then Frank ruined the moment.

“Charles Pendragon. The ruthless Alpha King. Powerful. Dangerous. Old enough to be your…”

A pillow flew across the room and smacked him squarely in the face.

“Oh, shut up!”

Laughing, Frank caught the pillow before it could fall to the floor.

“Alright, alright.”

He tossed it back onto the couch, still grinning.

“It still sucks that I’m leaving in two days. I probably won’t even be here when you make your grand escape, assuming my father doesn’t hunt you down before you get very far. And if you somehow end up walking down that aisle, I’ll miss that too.”

He shrugged.

“Westmoor doesn’t hand out leave just because someone is having a royal wedding. I only got a week off because my father insisted.”

“My best friend missing my wedding?”

Daniela folded her arms and gave him an exaggerated glare.

“That’s the highest level of betrayal imaginable.”

“I’ll send flowers.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Stop acting like you’re better than the rest of us just because you study at Westmoor Academy.”

Frank smirked.

“Better? No.”

His eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Smarter, stronger, and definitely better dressed? Absolutely.”

He stretched out across the sofa as though he owned the place.

“Besides, it’s not like you could ever attend. Westmoor only accepts boys.”

Daniela blinked.

The teasing hit differently this time.

A thought slipped quietly into her mind.

It was reckless.

Completely ridiculous.

But what if…

What if it could actually work?

No one would think to look for her in the one place no woman was ever allowed to enter.

Frank interrupted her thoughts.

“Any news from Alexander?”

Her expression fell.

Alexander, her cousin, had been accepted into Westmoor Alpha Academy before disappearing without a trace. No one had heard from him in a long time. Her father had kept the entire matter strangely quiet, and that silence only convinced Daniela that something much bigger was happening behind the scenes.

She slowly shook her head.

“My father doesn’t… like questions.”

Before Frank could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

One of George’s guards stood outside as soon as she opened it.

“My lady.”

His voice was respectful, but tense.

“Alpha Charles requests your presence.”

Daniela frowned.

“What?”

The guard swallowed.

“He is waiting in the courtyard.”

The nervous look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

This wasn’t a request.

It was an order.

A small smirk tugged at her lips.

“Tell him that if he wants to see me, he can knock on my door like everyone else.”

Frank immediately reached over and grabbed her shoulder.

“Don’t.”

His voice dropped to a harsh whisper.

“You should go.”

The guard lowered his head.

“Forgive me, my lady, but Alpha Charles specifically said he should not be kept waiting.”

Daniela glanced toward the window.

Even from inside her room, she could almost feel his overwhelming presence outside.

He was waiting.

She drew in a slow breath.

“Fine.”

The guard bowed once before quietly leaving.

As soon as the door closed, she turned back to Frank.

“What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes slowly moved around the room as if checking every corner.

“He could be listening.”

His voice was barely above a whisper.

“He might have heard everything we’ve been saying.”

Daniela frowned.

“How? The courtyard isn’t even close.”

Frank shook his head.

“It is… for my father.”

She stared at him for a moment before guilt crept into her expression.

“I hope you’re not going to get into trouble.”

A sheepish smile crossed her face.

“You did call him a devil.”

Frank waved the concern away.

“Relax.”

A crooked grin spread across his face.

“It’s not like he doesn’t already know what he is.”

Daniela couldn’t help laughing.

The tension eased for only a moment before reality settled over her again. She took one last steadying breath and squared her shoulders.

“Well… wish me luck.”

She managed a small smile.

“This meeting can only end one of two ways. Either I somehow convince your father to call off this ridiculous engagement…”

She paused, already knowing how unlikely that sounded.

“…or I make an enemy of the most powerful Alpha our kind has ever known.”